Blind at Twilight
First published with The Inflection Points, November 6th 2014
theinflectionpoints.wordpress.com/2014/11/06/blind-at-twilight/
Daylight Saving Time ended last Sunday. Most Americans look forward to an extra hour of sleep if they remember to change their clock alarms! But for individuals with night blindness, the end of Daylight Saving Time is another hour in the dark.
Moving the clocks back means one less hour to drive around town. One less hour to walk the dog. One less hour to be in the sun and the light.
I have Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that affects both my hearing and my eyesight. One of the symptoms is retinitis pigmentosa (RP) which causes night blindness and peripheral vision loss. Objects, walls, and people disappear into the darkness of the night.
Civil twilight occurs when the sun dips below the horizon, when there is just enough light to distinguish objects and movement. Civil twilight is the last moment to be outdoors without artificial illumination.
An app on my phone indicates what time civil twilight is at every day. I am the opposite of a vampire. When the sun is shining, I am outside. When the sun is gone, I am inside, my mobility is restricted.
My mobility is restricted, but my mind is not. I still want to be outside exploring. After civil twilight, I am dependent on my flashlight, my family, and my friends to help me explore. The night becomes a cage enclosing my mind. But just when the darkness begins to seep into my thoughts, a little flicker of light appears. My friends, my family, my flashlight reach into the cage and unlock my mind from the night.
The end of Daylight Saving Time is not my favorite time of the year. But winter is.
I look forward to when the streetlights glisten on the fresh snow. When I can follow old footsteps in the snow as I trust their ability to create a safe path in the night.
Thank you to all who have helped create safe paths in the night. Every footstep, flashlight, and arm is a little light in our world of darkness.
To learn more about Usher syndrome, please visit http://www.usher-syndrome.org